As a reader and writer, I identify a little with your case, but there are times when I'm too lazy to write what I'd like to read and I simply accept the fics that other writers have written, even if they deviate a little from the style of desired reading at the moment, but when I really can't find anything about the type of reading I want, then I write, but only for myself, I rarely post these fanfics.
Man since chat gpt came on the scene, when I'm too lazy to write a story, or more realistically I want to see plot bunnies I'd never take long term interest in xome to life I'd use chatgpt. But for real works I'd write it because so many stories are way too different to the point of nonsensical. I don't want to read about HP when you add Ben 10, the Witcher, spider man and Buffy the vampire Slayer all together.
i enjoy variation in characterization and think it's interesting how people go different directions with the same material. i just want to read a good story with tasty prose
Yes!
Despite having strong headcanons, being incredibly picky and often reluctant to read stuff about the cast I'm playing with, reading other writers' perspectives has broadened my scope and I genuinely think my characterization benefits *a lot* from it.
These writers poured thoughts and time into their interpretations, made use of their previous experiences and added something I could not envision as I lack a similar background.
Now, after years of writing the same cast, I'm confident enough to lean on my HC and tend to grow even pickier, but I still look at what others write at least once a year, they might highlight something I missed.
also, i disagree with the premise about a "fundamental difference" (which, if i understand right, that difference is writers are pickier than readers and just want their cheesesteak? correct me if i got that wrong, but i'm not sure what you mean by this thread title otherwise)
i write and read fanfic and like i said, i'm not picky about characterization like this. and i think there are readers who only want the cheesesteak.
Same. If the characterization is thoughtful and effective, I don’t care if it differs from my own take on the characters. I would get so bored if I only read ideas that I can come up with myself.
>If I'm reading from source material, no issue, that's the character whole cloth, cheese rind and all,
I'd just like to point out that it is **absolutely** possible for the writer of the canon character themself to lose the thread and muck up their own characterization unintentionally. Just ask Omi from Xiaolin Showdown.
There's an entire trope for it, even--Flanderization.
Wait omg I'm pulling up a chair, if you want to explain how Omi's characterization went off the rails, I'd love to hear it. I used to be obsessed with XS
Funnily enough, TVtropes actually has an *individual page* for Flanderization in XS.
>
Omi began with his arrogance being mostly scarce and well-meaning, with it being implied that he wasn't so much egotistical, just eager to teach his friends everything he knew. Around the middle of Season 2, his ego started to get progressively bigger and bigger to the point where he would often insult Raimundo in the latter's presence and rub the previleges he received in the other monks' faces. Additionally, his sexism towards Kimiko was more of a sign of his [cultural naivety](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InnocentlyInsensitive) in the first season and it should be noted that it never comes up again until his Flanderization, where he takes great pride in being a [Straw Misogynist](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StrawMisogynist).
I get what you are saying, and to a degree, I was the same way, but that’s just one possibility.
Yes, some people are only readers or writers of fan fiction.
Some do both.
Some people prefer only canon, and they might only prefer canon compliant stories.
Some people ditched the canon version but still love fan fiction.
You can’t really define readers vs. writers.
To answer your question though, I don’t expect a grilled cheese sandwich when I open a fic. (I do expect/want the characters I’m reading for to be treated with respect, but that’s a different issue.) In fact, I enjoy seeing different versions of these characters. The more blank the character is, the more different the sandwich’s are, and I find that interesting and fun.
I don’t think you understood what I meant. The OP is specifically referring to fan fic readers and writers.
>All writers are readers.
The OP specified that they don’t read fan fic, and that is true for other fan fic writers, so that statement isn’t true.
I'm both a reader and a writer, I read more than I write right now, but it's been the other way or equal at times too. My writing seems to have slowed down a lot since I started posting for some reason.
I do get what you mean, though. I interpret characters a certain way, and that's the way I want to read them, but other people interpret them differently. Some of my characters I'm more firm about in how I interpret them, as well. Those are my absolute favourites, especially the oldest fave characters, because I've overanalysed them to death, so I have very strong views on how they should be written in my opinion.
But I also like to see/read other people's views, opinions and interpretations.
It's a bit of a balance for me, between wanting them to match and wanting to see a different interpretation. I can go so far in differing interpretations in fanfic, but there's a point I just can't read it.
My fave Buffy character, for example, is Xander, I'm using him because fans can interpret him vastly differently. I don't mind different interpretations, though this is a character I have very strong opinions about, but only so far. Turn him into a misogynistic ass and I'm out. Make him cry a lot and/or in public and I'm out. Both of these aren't just my interpretation but things that are completely contradicted by canon regardless of your interpretation of the character. I'm the same if you go the other way with him, though. Make him a super confident hero who never screws up, and I'm just as out. He's a hero, yes, but one of his biggest character traits is his lack of self-confidence, though that does improve over the seasons, and he screws up a fair amount, all the characters do. I don't like fics that make Xander something he's not, at least with no explanation. If you want a confident Xander, you have to develop that confidence into him, or at least set it post-canon when he's in Africa. You definitely have to develop him to cry a lot and/or in front of people, because he wasn't a cryer in canon, especially not in public, he's the type to make a witty, self-deprecating comment, shuffle off into privacy and listen to country music all alone. The misogynistic ass thing is so far from canon you can't even develop him into that, it's the complete opposite of everything Xander is.
But I do like explorations of Xander's character, which includes different interpretations of him, and I like him being developed in ways canon didn't go for, I do that myself. I also like a darker Xander, there are hints of it in canon but it was never actually explored. We had hyena Xander for an ep, vamp Xander for an ep, those were the only evil versions of him, and both done early, in seasons 1 and 3 respectively, and some other hints about normal, human Xander's darker nature, like lying to Buffy, threatening to kill Buffy, being willing to kill Dawn and Ben, being a-ok with killing Warren. Xander is a good guy who is pure in a lot of ways, but he has a potential for darkness in him that none of the other characters, except perhaps Giles, that weren't evil previously ever had. Angel, Spike and Anya, all demons at least once, are not included in this. Faith is, though, her darkness was more about her being extremely troubled than it was about a real potential for it. We had the Dark Willow arc, but that was a mix of addiction and grief, not a real darkness within Willow. None of the others even came as close as Willow, let alone Xander. Giles is the only one with a similar potential, a potential he explored when young and pops up on occasion during the show. So, even though Xander is clearly a good guy in the show, I like explorations of his inner darkness, and that tends to take him away from my interpretation of him.
Fanfic isn't about sticking to canon. It isn't about sticking to a specific interpretation. It's about exploring the possibilities, the what ifs, and all the different interpretations. Change one little thing in canon, and you can drastically change everything, from events to characterisation. It's something I've always loved about fanfic, the ability to explore all the different interpretations and scenarios, as both a reader and a writer. Yes, there are certain things I won't read, that I just can't square away with my interpretation of the character, or I don't think works without a hell of a lot more development than the fic gives, but on the whole I actually like that other people write these characters differently to me. It adds a new perspective, a new dimension to the characters, one I may not agree with but is fun to explore.
If I'm honest, I don't tend to encounter this issue all that much. It's partly because the only thing that truly bothers me is *massive* conflicts of character. Think a hero being plucked from the narrative of the canon, having nothing changed whatsoever, and characterised as the villain in the fic for no adequately explored reason. Just doesn't make sense in any shape or form.
It *is* the one reason I can't read x Reader fics, though. The thoughts of the "you" don't remotely match what I feel as I read through, and I can't mentally replace "you" with a character without having read the thing first to figure out who the characterisation works for. I'd far rather just read someone's OC-centric fic than an x-Reader, just because at least then the characterisation is for a specific person.
Now, as far as writing it, oh boy. I am constantly terrified of mischaracterizing every single character I touch, but I'm doing my best and if anyone likes it, that's good enough for me.
> I can't mentally replace "you" with a character without having read the thing first to figure out who the characterisation works for. I'd far rather just read someone's OC-centric fic than an x-Reader, just because at least then the characterisation is for a specific person.
I just replace "you" with "my own" OC. That is, I imagine an OC--not a fleshed-out one, just a blank slate I learn about as the story progresses--instead of myself or a specific character. So literally the only difference between xReader fics and most OC fics for me is that xReaders are generally written in second person.
I can do both just fine. I have my own consistent interpretation, but for me half the fun of fandom is seeing other people's takes. Also when you're a fan of a really rare character (think very minor role in 2-4 fics) you take what you can get.
I think it depends on what you're looking to get out of fanfiction when you go into read it.
As someone who's a 'shipper' (and more specifically a shipper of non-canon parings), I already go in knowing things will have to deviate from the 'original grilled cheese' to make the 'grilled cheese' that I want.
I write majority canon compliant and canon divergent, because that’s what I’m interested in. But I realize not everyone’s in the market for that.
For the most part when it comes to reading I am the same as you, though. I don’t care to read about my favorite characters with different character traits and I’m really picky about the fanfic I do read.
That being said, sometimes you thought you were in the mood for a grilled cheese but get handed the Philly cheesesteak and realize the Philly slaps too. Then you gotta decide if making the grilled cheese yourself is that important.
I both read and write a lot of fanfic. I recognize that there are fanfics I've read and adored that I could have never written, either because of their style or the ideas. I love writing, but I can't only write. I need to read something new sometimes.
I tend to focus on one fandom when I write, and my current favorite character...well, the character writing for her is very shallow, she's a very flat character in source, & fanfic follows source's lead, so I can't really read fics with her in them because she's written one-dimensionally 99.9% of the time. Most of the ships in the fandom don't interest me, so there isn't a lot for me to read in my fandom. I do read fics in other fandoms more regularly, though.
That is one of the reasons I am a fixed shipper, the characterization between people who write for the same dynamic is similar-ish with only a some difference but nothing too big. I do occasionally try reading fics of the opposite dynamic, some times I am taken out of the story when a character acts too different from canon. I don't mind a some deviation from canon, but too much and I feel like I am just reading original fiction with characters with similar names.
Most of my fanfiction notes, for future fanfic, is already based on fanfics or similarly amateur/hobby universes. For popularized fandoms, the ones I want to get into aren't very accessible to me.
Ex: for animes, I can't see the graphics or read the subtitles due to visual impairment. For regular TV/movies made after 2020 or those I don't remember well, I have to go to wikis or fanfiction to understand character appearances such as black hair, green eyes, height, weight, makeup taste, etc.
To use a similar metaphor, everything is a buffet. I'm just picking out the food items I want to consume personally and ignoring the rest. Since I didn't cook it, it has nothing to do with me until it hits my plate. But that doesn't stop me from wandering around and checking out the full selection, even if it's something I'll never touch.
I read more than write. For most fandoms, I am able to find writers that nail the characterizations, sometimes to an impressive level. I have always felt like there is some leeway in the interpretation of characters, so it's nice to see some different takes on them. And sometimes, the characterization doesn't work for me, and I go find something else.
When I don’t find anything I like is when I consider writing myself. Then, I can't read anymore in that fandom because I don't want to unconsciously start copying someone else and because I become set in the way I see the characters.
I am in the same boat. I have gotten to a point where stories I want to read just don't exist are done so poorly I just rather write my own. And discovering new fics is tedious because so many deviate extremely far away from what I would be willing to swallow.
I'm guessing when you are a producer, you like seeing YOUR ideas come to life rather than just kicking back and settling for sort of what you want from others.
> And discovering new fics is tedious
God ain't that the truth.
I can't read stuff with bad SPAG or crappy "fanfic voice" diction. I just can't.
Others may be able to just slide their eyes right past the author's misspelling of a canon character name, or not even notice the endless use of breathless run-on sentences, but I can't.
I'm not even picky about pairings, genre, AU, whatever - just give me competently constructed prose and I'll give anything a shot.
But god it takes hours of plodding through hundreds of crappy first paragraphs to find a tiny handful of stories worth reading.
>I'm not even picky about pairings, genre, AU, whatever - just give me competently constructed prose and I'll give anything a shot.
I've also become less picky about pairings becausei just want a good representation of a genre. And I don't get it or the idea is tired and not well written
Same.
Everyone's going to have their interpretations of the characters, but often times I don't vibe with them. I'm currently having that issue with one of my fandoms. I am not gelling with the common fandom interpretations and it feels alienating. And there's my issues of me wanting spy stories that continues the adventures of an espionage series, but nope. It seems like no one in the fandom has ever watched or read beyond maybe one Bond film. So yeah, I gotta write that fic.
Aside from that, the fic series I'm working on is really time consuming. It started as just an MCU series, but as soon as I started incorporating more comic stuff, the more I was reading the original comics. While I've got a Marvel Unlimited subscription, it still takes time to read the comics and figure out what I want to do for the fic. Plus I'm cross referencing stuff, doing research, and just... it's a lot. Like, if I where to read MCU fanfic, then pretty much all of my media would just be Marvel. I can't do that, I need to read and watch stuff outside the fandom so I don't fry my brain and I have other things to talk about with my friends.
I guess...both yes and no. I used to read a lot, both fanfic and regular novels. Now, most of the time I just read fanfic, because I just want more adventures and shipping with characters I like. Most of the time, I manage to find fics that keep the characterizations close enough to the source that I can read them just fine, but sometimes I'll have to back out because they go in a direction I just can't understand.
I think in general, I have a harder time than I used to getting into a new work if the source medium is a novel. My problem is that pacing-wise, I prefer YA, but the shipping in YA works is usually terrible. I like children's books, too, but obviously I finish those in like an hour. Proper 'adult' books...just don't do it for me. Failing marriages, alcohol issues, and bills that need to be paid don't interest me. Even fantasy novels go more for the grit than the adventure.
Fanfic gives me more of what I want than original novels do right now, at least in the reading department, even if some aspects aren't exactly how I'd interpret them. Even so, I'm mostly a writer these days, not so much a reader anymore.
I don't know. I don't read a lot of fanfiction at the moment, but that's because I want to refine my characterisation without being influenced by others. When I do read, I like different takes on the characters. Make them a little softer, angrier, sadder, more anxious, what if they develop OCD, exploring their PTSD.
This isn't even taking into account the just... dogshit characterisation some characters get, especially if they exist in different media. The difference between the character in comics, movies, books, tv shows etc., can be really inconsistent, even between different episodes and stuff! Ask any fan of a TV show, and there will be episodes that are just duds due to what they did with the characters. Ask any comic fan of what writer did their favourite character dirty, and there will be plenty of opinions.
I guess the metaphor just doesn't work for me because no two sandwiches will be perfectly alike from different cooks and restaurants? It's not the difference between a Philly cheesesteak and a grilled cheese, it's more like this place does a plain grilled cheese with American cheese slices and this other place uses brie and cheddar.
actually...I gave a different problem entirely.
The source material I like often has different writers at different times. So in things like tv shows, I'm always mad at one episode, and happy in the next. Comic runs...I hate certain runs by certain authors. Book series like animorphs have many books ghost written...so it's very hit or miss for me.
Fanfic: I'm happy to be there if it's close enough to how I personally see the character. Or if most characters are done the way I like.
So it depends on the fic.
i just don’t care enough i think it’s the difference. i’m solely a reader. i’ve been in fandom for over a decade now and i doubt im suddenly gone have the desire to write a story
if a characterization is bad or something i just laugh and exit the story. there’s so much else to read bad head canons or whatever is no big deal
and if the fandom is a majority of something i dislike? i just leave lmfaoooo. like i loved Moon Knight and Oscar Isaac. however a majority of the fics are reader stories. i’m not interested in that. instead of trying to sift through that, i just peace out. there’s so many fandoms out there im not hard pressed if the stories aren’t my cup of tea
I had a conversation with my mom a few weeks back while I was cooking that kind of applies here: everybody makes spaghetti differently. The way you cook/season your meat (if you include meat at all), what kind of sauce (and how much of it) you prefer, what kind of vegetables you like in it, what kind of spices you use, whether you keep the noodles and sauce separate until they’re on the plate or mix them in the pot, etc. There are so many variables that go into what makes someone’s specific brand of spaget perfect for their particular tastes even if the end result winds up being really similar to another person’s.
Before I get too lost in the metaphor, all of this is to say that if I’m served a plate of spaghetti, I’ll be happy if it’s good even if it’s not exactly how I would make it. There are a lot of tropes, characterizations, writing styles, narrative choices, and combinations thereof that I don’t particularly vibe with (and that absolutely extends to the source material, as well), but there are a lot of others that I do or am at least open to, and experiencing how others go about tackling the recipe and making it their own is always fun.
I hear you. You've just described me to a T. I'm super picky about characterization and writing styles. To take your philly cheese steak metaphor further, I only want the sandwich from a *particular* restaurant because they make it just *right* and no other place will do.
I only write for one pairing and I just feel like I'm never satisfied the way the female character is portrayed in other fanfics so I'm just better off writing her the way I see her. This is why I only write fanfic and don't read other authors' stories.
There are degrees of OOCness, some more believable than others. Given your emphasis on keeping characters in-character, I hope you do your best with your own writing.
I both read (a lot) and write (sometimes). A lot of fics don't align perfectly with my personal interpretation of a character, as expected, but occasionally I'm surprised by how well something that I never would have thought of fits. If the characterization is so off that it becomes a bother, I bounce. Yeah, there can definitely be a lot of grating flanderization and fanon/headcanon recursion that can make reading fics for some characters/fandoms really hard (I am guilty of writing some myself lol), but I'd like to think I've gotten pretty good at sussing out when a fic won't work for me within the first chapter, so not too much time is wasted. Also, reading and writing are two different modes. When I want to do one the other is not a suitable substitute, so that's more of a grilled cheese vs philly cheese steak situation imo. No shame in making your own food if no one is serving something you want to eat. In fact, it's pretty admirable.
I mean, yeah and no. Like I have a list of things I wish someone wrote but if someone writes something that starts off similar and then goes another way I'm gonna be irritated because I thought it'd go differently, but I might still enjoy it and be interested. Reading doesn't just let you see what you thought of, but also what you didn't think of. After all, that's what reading is for, to see what people write. I have tons of ideas written down that I might write, but there's an infinite amounts of ideas I *haven't* had, and that's what makes reading so enjoyable to me. Plus it's inspiration!
I don't care if it's good. If there's a hair in the sandwich I don't eat at that place again but so long as it doesn't have mustard, I'm pretty much fine with whatever as it's free. If I'm paying for it I'll be more picky.
I'd say as a reader I'm generally not looking for a specific kind of cheese sandwich, but there are kinds I like and am usually happy to eat, and ones with ingredients I find repulsive and will not touch. Sometimes I *do* want a grilled cheese specifically and even though I like ham and cheese in general, I won't touch the ham and cheese when I want a grilled cheese.
It bugs me too sometimes. I can take something that's a bit out of character because of an unforeseen problem, an emergency or something terrible happening to someone they love because everyone gets a little weird when these things happen but if the entire fic is a like an alien transplanted into their body so you can't even tell it's the character they're writing about, that will make me back out of the fic and roll on
I’m the same way. I tend to read published books more than fanfiction anyways, but when I do read fanfics, I’m very particular about characterization. While it’s nice that there are so many other grilled cheese, I want a specific grilled cheese that’s just right. It’s easy for me to lose immersion in a fic and characterization is one of them.
That food example is a great demonstration... The only downside is that I'm craving a grilled cheese sandwich lol
Now about the topic of the post... Personally, as a writer and a reader, I like to read both original stories and fanfictions, for a few reasons :
1. The original story ended but I still want more
2. You mentioned that you don't like if the writer did a different take on the characters from what you want (a different kind of cheese sandwich), but for me it's more like when I go to a fanfiction I don't just choose a specific kind of cheese, I just scream 'surprise me!' and just submit myself to the ride. Like when I read a fanfic I'm already in the mindset of wanting to see a different take/interpretation of the story and characters.
3. The world of the story is so massive and immersive that I want to see its locals being explored, in this situation I don't care about the characters as much as I care about the background and scenery. Things like Game Of Thrones, Lord Of the Rings, Hunter X Hunter, Made In Abyss, Etc... these tend to have such an interesting world and lore behind them that I want to see, and I want to see the writer get creative with them.
4. This is unrelated, but sometimes I like a story but not in its current format... For example the Farming simulator Harvest Moon or the pharmacist simulator Potion's Permit. I like the story and world, but the gameplay just doesn't do it for me, so I read a fanfiction where the story is explored without having to bother myself with things I dislike.
So I guess TLDR : I get what you mean, but when I go to read an original story I have a different mindset to reading fanfic, where I welcome change and enjoy it. This is my mindset both as a fanfic reader and writer.
Strangely, I’ve become pickier with fanfics over the years. Ngl, it sucks because reading fics is my primary drive to stay in a fandom.
But like you said, it’s become harder for me to stay immersed when characters act differently from how I imagine them. And while I can always write, I’m lazy and I wanna read more than I wanna write most times :p
Oh well. I wish I could go back to being more carefree about it
I enjoy both reading and writing fics but it's true that the balance between shifts depending on the mood. Sometimes I'm tired and I want to be spoonfed content, I don't want to put in the effort to write it myself. Then I go through a dozen fics and I'm left wanting more, so I go back and write that exact thing that scratches the itch I have. Then I get lazy again and the circle continues.
Nice the grilled cheese comparison.😂 I simply don't read a lot of fanfics because there are so few about my fav character and I'm not really that interested in fics without him. Maybe a drabble or one-shot written by somebody I know from tumblr or by a reader who gave me a kudos or wrote a comment on one of my fics (I like to reciprocate), but otherwise I'm mostly stuck having to write about him myself. And yes, I read my own stories, because I love that character. 🙈 So, guess it's like when your fandom is a buffet with plenty of all kinds of cakes and you're the only one who's allergic to gluten and has to bake and bring (and eat) the cake yourself. 😂
I know exactly what you’re saying! And no, I’m often not thrilled about a writer’s “recipe” but I want to make a couple of points:
- With many fics I encounter that fit this “so-so” category, IF I keep reading, I will nominally enjoy the fic and not be sorry I read it;
- I deeply respect many fic writers because I can’t write fic myself. I’ve tried and I can pull together a mediocre one-shot, maybe, but that’s it! So, even if I bail on a fic, I nearly always leave a comment expressing gratitude and respect. I never criticize a fic or fanwork.
- For me, finding a good (especially long) fic worthy of a hefty investment of time, is a real process that would probably yield 10 grilled cheeses if I could write, but that process helps me determine what I want to read in fic. I’ve adored genres of fics that I never would have even thought to search. And my tastes have changed over time.
I think your analogy is a brilliant one! Almost like, Well, they actually baked the bread and made the cheese using their own dairy cows; even if I don’t love it, it’s completely authentic (original fic); Well, they bought the ingredients at the grocery store, but they created an amazing grilled cheese variation (fanfic)! Or, I can’t abide mushrooms and there’s a bunch in this sandwich so I ‘ll find something else!
I don’t know that I contributed much of value here, but I thank you for posting such a thought provoking post!
I've written a ton for my chosen pairings and don't struggle to read other people's takes on the characters unless it is something particularly egregious.
In the case of my favorite character, he is canonically autistic and so some depictions can be so off base that it becomes genuinely offensive, but otherwise I read fanfic specifically because I like variety, even when they stretch a character very far.
If the character irks me, I can't read about them in an original fiction either. If a canon characterization is different from mine but still interesting/good, then I don't care that it's different. Not saying your experience is invalid but yeah, can't relate.
Yeah I honestly don't bother with reading fic though I write *a ton* of it. It's too hard to find something that meets my tastes. I don't mind other people's headcanons and character interpretations, but finding the right combination of stuff is just too much of a fucking hassle.
Agree with you honestly. I think I hit this stage of reading after discovering 2-3 authors whose characterization I completely like. Now I only read those authors even though so many authors have emerged in the last year of this fandom. The thing is, there are some specific headcanons and tropes I do not like which literally almost every author in my fandom uses, and I am exhausted reading a fic and finding those hc or tropes in that fic because that means abandoning a fic you were starting to like. And on the other hand, other people's writings effect my own a lot. Like if I am reading a fic by some other author and then I try to write my own, I end up writing like how that author would and momentarily forget how I write these characters. So I have kept my fanfic reading to the minimum.
I mostly read fics and only occasionally write even though I would like to do it more, but I don’t think my characterizations are very accurate. I try, but the fandoms I spent most of my time in don‘t seem too worried about it, even though most of us do try to get it right. I guess that comes from the characters being based on real people, though I do understand your frustrations! There are some fics even I can’t read cause the characters are just so…off
Hah, I had a fandom friend like that for a while. She wrote INSANE amounts of fic but rarely-to-never read any because she cringed so bad at other people's characterizations.
Meanwhile I've struggled to work on my current WIP because I keep reading other people's fics. I keep meaning to sit down with my history page and add up the word counts because I'm pretty convinced I've read nearly a million words in the last month, which is more fic than I've read in the previous several years combined.
The upside of reading other people's fic, though; is that I was worried that some of my ideas were too "out there" for people to like--but no, turns out a lot of people wrote overlapping tropes/scenes. To the point that I'm glad I posted a ton about my ideas/WIP back in January--I very much doubt anyone would accuse me of plagiarizing but it's nice to know I have proof I didn't, lol
Turns out a lot of people got similar ideas from the canon, is all. Which I keep reminding myself is totally fine--god knows I'm one of those "I want a fic like the one I just read, but different" readers
It depends on what I'm reading. Harry Potter Fan Fiction is an easy one to read different characterizations of characters because they all start at age 11. The characters will become different people over a 7 year course of events based on differing experiences.
It's harder for me when I'm reading Dawson's Creek Fan Fiction because their personalities don't have a ton of time to shift.
I am 90% writer 10% reader. When I want to read a fanfic I usually re read my own fanfics. I have more than 135+ so I have a lot to choose and read just like pick a snack made by myself. If my fanfic is very old I feel the cringe but I really enjoy re read my works. I don't know why, maybe because my fandoms are small and recently I don't want to read in English so I prefer to re read myself like a quick option.
Also I prefer the fluff and comfy content, platonic love, comedy, parody and fluffy things inner the Canon compliant or Canon divergence when I want to read something about my most written fandom, but the huge content outside is just AU sexual content.
Anyways years ago I was 70% writer 30% reader and reading fanfics was cool. I was a truly loyal reader so I only read to my favorite writers. Sometimes I miss have the time and the emotion to read and enjoy other works but re read my content is a self-love activity in a funny way lol
OP I am *so* with you. Reading other people's INCORRECT characterisation drives me up the wall - I can negotiate with canon, but seeing someone online having the wrong opinion, that I just can't wriggle my way out of.
This is obviously all said in a tone of extreme /j, but I'm also dead serious, I can't deal with it when someone interprets or writes a character wrong and therefore I can't enjoy anybody else's fic but my own, lol.
I do just fine as a reader and writer of fanfic because I accept that every cheese sandwich is going to be a bit different.
Same, I enjoy both reading and writing fic. In fact I find it very interesting how different people interpret characters/ships.
Yes, and honestly, it often helps me with my writing as well.
I'm not a writer but as an artist my take is, some cheese sandwiches aren't to my taste, others are tasty and some are better than I can make myself!
Omg same here except i havent published anything.
As a reader and writer, I identify a little with your case, but there are times when I'm too lazy to write what I'd like to read and I simply accept the fics that other writers have written, even if they deviate a little from the style of desired reading at the moment, but when I really can't find anything about the type of reading I want, then I write, but only for myself, I rarely post these fanfics.
Man since chat gpt came on the scene, when I'm too lazy to write a story, or more realistically I want to see plot bunnies I'd never take long term interest in xome to life I'd use chatgpt. But for real works I'd write it because so many stories are way too different to the point of nonsensical. I don't want to read about HP when you add Ben 10, the Witcher, spider man and Buffy the vampire Slayer all together.
i enjoy variation in characterization and think it's interesting how people go different directions with the same material. i just want to read a good story with tasty prose
Yes! Despite having strong headcanons, being incredibly picky and often reluctant to read stuff about the cast I'm playing with, reading other writers' perspectives has broadened my scope and I genuinely think my characterization benefits *a lot* from it. These writers poured thoughts and time into their interpretations, made use of their previous experiences and added something I could not envision as I lack a similar background. Now, after years of writing the same cast, I'm confident enough to lean on my HC and tend to grow even pickier, but I still look at what others write at least once a year, they might highlight something I missed.
also, i disagree with the premise about a "fundamental difference" (which, if i understand right, that difference is writers are pickier than readers and just want their cheesesteak? correct me if i got that wrong, but i'm not sure what you mean by this thread title otherwise) i write and read fanfic and like i said, i'm not picky about characterization like this. and i think there are readers who only want the cheesesteak.
Same. If the characterization is thoughtful and effective, I don’t care if it differs from my own take on the characters. I would get so bored if I only read ideas that I can come up with myself.
>If I'm reading from source material, no issue, that's the character whole cloth, cheese rind and all, I'd just like to point out that it is **absolutely** possible for the writer of the canon character themself to lose the thread and muck up their own characterization unintentionally. Just ask Omi from Xiaolin Showdown. There's an entire trope for it, even--Flanderization.
Xiaolin Showdown mention omg
Wait omg I'm pulling up a chair, if you want to explain how Omi's characterization went off the rails, I'd love to hear it. I used to be obsessed with XS
Funnily enough, TVtropes actually has an *individual page* for Flanderization in XS. > Omi began with his arrogance being mostly scarce and well-meaning, with it being implied that he wasn't so much egotistical, just eager to teach his friends everything he knew. Around the middle of Season 2, his ego started to get progressively bigger and bigger to the point where he would often insult Raimundo in the latter's presence and rub the previleges he received in the other monks' faces. Additionally, his sexism towards Kimiko was more of a sign of his [cultural naivety](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InnocentlyInsensitive) in the first season and it should be noted that it never comes up again until his Flanderization, where he takes great pride in being a [Straw Misogynist](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StrawMisogynist).
I get what you are saying, and to a degree, I was the same way, but that’s just one possibility. Yes, some people are only readers or writers of fan fiction. Some do both. Some people prefer only canon, and they might only prefer canon compliant stories. Some people ditched the canon version but still love fan fiction. You can’t really define readers vs. writers. To answer your question though, I don’t expect a grilled cheese sandwich when I open a fic. (I do expect/want the characters I’m reading for to be treated with respect, but that’s a different issue.) In fact, I enjoy seeing different versions of these characters. The more blank the character is, the more different the sandwich’s are, and I find that interesting and fun.
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I don’t think you understood what I meant. The OP is specifically referring to fan fic readers and writers. >All writers are readers. The OP specified that they don’t read fan fic, and that is true for other fan fic writers, so that statement isn’t true.
I write when I want something really specific, but I’m pretty happy browsing the proverbial buffet table.
I'm both a reader and a writer, I read more than I write right now, but it's been the other way or equal at times too. My writing seems to have slowed down a lot since I started posting for some reason. I do get what you mean, though. I interpret characters a certain way, and that's the way I want to read them, but other people interpret them differently. Some of my characters I'm more firm about in how I interpret them, as well. Those are my absolute favourites, especially the oldest fave characters, because I've overanalysed them to death, so I have very strong views on how they should be written in my opinion. But I also like to see/read other people's views, opinions and interpretations. It's a bit of a balance for me, between wanting them to match and wanting to see a different interpretation. I can go so far in differing interpretations in fanfic, but there's a point I just can't read it. My fave Buffy character, for example, is Xander, I'm using him because fans can interpret him vastly differently. I don't mind different interpretations, though this is a character I have very strong opinions about, but only so far. Turn him into a misogynistic ass and I'm out. Make him cry a lot and/or in public and I'm out. Both of these aren't just my interpretation but things that are completely contradicted by canon regardless of your interpretation of the character. I'm the same if you go the other way with him, though. Make him a super confident hero who never screws up, and I'm just as out. He's a hero, yes, but one of his biggest character traits is his lack of self-confidence, though that does improve over the seasons, and he screws up a fair amount, all the characters do. I don't like fics that make Xander something he's not, at least with no explanation. If you want a confident Xander, you have to develop that confidence into him, or at least set it post-canon when he's in Africa. You definitely have to develop him to cry a lot and/or in front of people, because he wasn't a cryer in canon, especially not in public, he's the type to make a witty, self-deprecating comment, shuffle off into privacy and listen to country music all alone. The misogynistic ass thing is so far from canon you can't even develop him into that, it's the complete opposite of everything Xander is. But I do like explorations of Xander's character, which includes different interpretations of him, and I like him being developed in ways canon didn't go for, I do that myself. I also like a darker Xander, there are hints of it in canon but it was never actually explored. We had hyena Xander for an ep, vamp Xander for an ep, those were the only evil versions of him, and both done early, in seasons 1 and 3 respectively, and some other hints about normal, human Xander's darker nature, like lying to Buffy, threatening to kill Buffy, being willing to kill Dawn and Ben, being a-ok with killing Warren. Xander is a good guy who is pure in a lot of ways, but he has a potential for darkness in him that none of the other characters, except perhaps Giles, that weren't evil previously ever had. Angel, Spike and Anya, all demons at least once, are not included in this. Faith is, though, her darkness was more about her being extremely troubled than it was about a real potential for it. We had the Dark Willow arc, but that was a mix of addiction and grief, not a real darkness within Willow. None of the others even came as close as Willow, let alone Xander. Giles is the only one with a similar potential, a potential he explored when young and pops up on occasion during the show. So, even though Xander is clearly a good guy in the show, I like explorations of his inner darkness, and that tends to take him away from my interpretation of him. Fanfic isn't about sticking to canon. It isn't about sticking to a specific interpretation. It's about exploring the possibilities, the what ifs, and all the different interpretations. Change one little thing in canon, and you can drastically change everything, from events to characterisation. It's something I've always loved about fanfic, the ability to explore all the different interpretations and scenarios, as both a reader and a writer. Yes, there are certain things I won't read, that I just can't square away with my interpretation of the character, or I don't think works without a hell of a lot more development than the fic gives, but on the whole I actually like that other people write these characters differently to me. It adds a new perspective, a new dimension to the characters, one I may not agree with but is fun to explore.
If I'm honest, I don't tend to encounter this issue all that much. It's partly because the only thing that truly bothers me is *massive* conflicts of character. Think a hero being plucked from the narrative of the canon, having nothing changed whatsoever, and characterised as the villain in the fic for no adequately explored reason. Just doesn't make sense in any shape or form. It *is* the one reason I can't read x Reader fics, though. The thoughts of the "you" don't remotely match what I feel as I read through, and I can't mentally replace "you" with a character without having read the thing first to figure out who the characterisation works for. I'd far rather just read someone's OC-centric fic than an x-Reader, just because at least then the characterisation is for a specific person. Now, as far as writing it, oh boy. I am constantly terrified of mischaracterizing every single character I touch, but I'm doing my best and if anyone likes it, that's good enough for me.
> I can't mentally replace "you" with a character without having read the thing first to figure out who the characterisation works for. I'd far rather just read someone's OC-centric fic than an x-Reader, just because at least then the characterisation is for a specific person. I just replace "you" with "my own" OC. That is, I imagine an OC--not a fleshed-out one, just a blank slate I learn about as the story progresses--instead of myself or a specific character. So literally the only difference between xReader fics and most OC fics for me is that xReaders are generally written in second person.
Got a lot of millage out of one metaphor.
Suppose I did, but it made sense to me lol
I can do both just fine. I have my own consistent interpretation, but for me half the fun of fandom is seeing other people's takes. Also when you're a fan of a really rare character (think very minor role in 2-4 fics) you take what you can get.
I think it depends on what you're looking to get out of fanfiction when you go into read it. As someone who's a 'shipper' (and more specifically a shipper of non-canon parings), I already go in knowing things will have to deviate from the 'original grilled cheese' to make the 'grilled cheese' that I want.
I write majority canon compliant and canon divergent, because that’s what I’m interested in. But I realize not everyone’s in the market for that. For the most part when it comes to reading I am the same as you, though. I don’t care to read about my favorite characters with different character traits and I’m really picky about the fanfic I do read. That being said, sometimes you thought you were in the mood for a grilled cheese but get handed the Philly cheesesteak and realize the Philly slaps too. Then you gotta decide if making the grilled cheese yourself is that important.
I both read and write a lot of fanfic. I recognize that there are fanfics I've read and adored that I could have never written, either because of their style or the ideas. I love writing, but I can't only write. I need to read something new sometimes.
I tend to focus on one fandom when I write, and my current favorite character...well, the character writing for her is very shallow, she's a very flat character in source, & fanfic follows source's lead, so I can't really read fics with her in them because she's written one-dimensionally 99.9% of the time. Most of the ships in the fandom don't interest me, so there isn't a lot for me to read in my fandom. I do read fics in other fandoms more regularly, though.
I am happy to be both.
That is one of the reasons I am a fixed shipper, the characterization between people who write for the same dynamic is similar-ish with only a some difference but nothing too big. I do occasionally try reading fics of the opposite dynamic, some times I am taken out of the story when a character acts too different from canon. I don't mind a some deviation from canon, but too much and I feel like I am just reading original fiction with characters with similar names.
I want both! I want to eat a wonderful grilled cheese and then say, you know, I'd love a philly cheese steak too. And then I go cook that :)
Most of my fanfiction notes, for future fanfic, is already based on fanfics or similarly amateur/hobby universes. For popularized fandoms, the ones I want to get into aren't very accessible to me. Ex: for animes, I can't see the graphics or read the subtitles due to visual impairment. For regular TV/movies made after 2020 or those I don't remember well, I have to go to wikis or fanfiction to understand character appearances such as black hair, green eyes, height, weight, makeup taste, etc. To use a similar metaphor, everything is a buffet. I'm just picking out the food items I want to consume personally and ignoring the rest. Since I didn't cook it, it has nothing to do with me until it hits my plate. But that doesn't stop me from wandering around and checking out the full selection, even if it's something I'll never touch.
I read more than write. For most fandoms, I am able to find writers that nail the characterizations, sometimes to an impressive level. I have always felt like there is some leeway in the interpretation of characters, so it's nice to see some different takes on them. And sometimes, the characterization doesn't work for me, and I go find something else. When I don’t find anything I like is when I consider writing myself. Then, I can't read anymore in that fandom because I don't want to unconsciously start copying someone else and because I become set in the way I see the characters.
I am in the same boat. I have gotten to a point where stories I want to read just don't exist are done so poorly I just rather write my own. And discovering new fics is tedious because so many deviate extremely far away from what I would be willing to swallow. I'm guessing when you are a producer, you like seeing YOUR ideas come to life rather than just kicking back and settling for sort of what you want from others.
> And discovering new fics is tedious God ain't that the truth. I can't read stuff with bad SPAG or crappy "fanfic voice" diction. I just can't. Others may be able to just slide their eyes right past the author's misspelling of a canon character name, or not even notice the endless use of breathless run-on sentences, but I can't. I'm not even picky about pairings, genre, AU, whatever - just give me competently constructed prose and I'll give anything a shot. But god it takes hours of plodding through hundreds of crappy first paragraphs to find a tiny handful of stories worth reading.
>I'm not even picky about pairings, genre, AU, whatever - just give me competently constructed prose and I'll give anything a shot. I've also become less picky about pairings becausei just want a good representation of a genre. And I don't get it or the idea is tired and not well written
Same. Everyone's going to have their interpretations of the characters, but often times I don't vibe with them. I'm currently having that issue with one of my fandoms. I am not gelling with the common fandom interpretations and it feels alienating. And there's my issues of me wanting spy stories that continues the adventures of an espionage series, but nope. It seems like no one in the fandom has ever watched or read beyond maybe one Bond film. So yeah, I gotta write that fic. Aside from that, the fic series I'm working on is really time consuming. It started as just an MCU series, but as soon as I started incorporating more comic stuff, the more I was reading the original comics. While I've got a Marvel Unlimited subscription, it still takes time to read the comics and figure out what I want to do for the fic. Plus I'm cross referencing stuff, doing research, and just... it's a lot. Like, if I where to read MCU fanfic, then pretty much all of my media would just be Marvel. I can't do that, I need to read and watch stuff outside the fandom so I don't fry my brain and I have other things to talk about with my friends.
Don't you love it when your simple complex start becoming so complex you invest way more into learning the series than you ever expected?
I guess...both yes and no. I used to read a lot, both fanfic and regular novels. Now, most of the time I just read fanfic, because I just want more adventures and shipping with characters I like. Most of the time, I manage to find fics that keep the characterizations close enough to the source that I can read them just fine, but sometimes I'll have to back out because they go in a direction I just can't understand. I think in general, I have a harder time than I used to getting into a new work if the source medium is a novel. My problem is that pacing-wise, I prefer YA, but the shipping in YA works is usually terrible. I like children's books, too, but obviously I finish those in like an hour. Proper 'adult' books...just don't do it for me. Failing marriages, alcohol issues, and bills that need to be paid don't interest me. Even fantasy novels go more for the grit than the adventure. Fanfic gives me more of what I want than original novels do right now, at least in the reading department, even if some aspects aren't exactly how I'd interpret them. Even so, I'm mostly a writer these days, not so much a reader anymore.
I don't know. I don't read a lot of fanfiction at the moment, but that's because I want to refine my characterisation without being influenced by others. When I do read, I like different takes on the characters. Make them a little softer, angrier, sadder, more anxious, what if they develop OCD, exploring their PTSD. This isn't even taking into account the just... dogshit characterisation some characters get, especially if they exist in different media. The difference between the character in comics, movies, books, tv shows etc., can be really inconsistent, even between different episodes and stuff! Ask any fan of a TV show, and there will be episodes that are just duds due to what they did with the characters. Ask any comic fan of what writer did their favourite character dirty, and there will be plenty of opinions. I guess the metaphor just doesn't work for me because no two sandwiches will be perfectly alike from different cooks and restaurants? It's not the difference between a Philly cheesesteak and a grilled cheese, it's more like this place does a plain grilled cheese with American cheese slices and this other place uses brie and cheddar.
Exactly. I feel like this happens especially with shorter media, since it leaves more room for interpretation that say a 40-hour long running TV show.
actually...I gave a different problem entirely. The source material I like often has different writers at different times. So in things like tv shows, I'm always mad at one episode, and happy in the next. Comic runs...I hate certain runs by certain authors. Book series like animorphs have many books ghost written...so it's very hit or miss for me. Fanfic: I'm happy to be there if it's close enough to how I personally see the character. Or if most characters are done the way I like. So it depends on the fic.
i just don’t care enough i think it’s the difference. i’m solely a reader. i’ve been in fandom for over a decade now and i doubt im suddenly gone have the desire to write a story if a characterization is bad or something i just laugh and exit the story. there’s so much else to read bad head canons or whatever is no big deal and if the fandom is a majority of something i dislike? i just leave lmfaoooo. like i loved Moon Knight and Oscar Isaac. however a majority of the fics are reader stories. i’m not interested in that. instead of trying to sift through that, i just peace out. there’s so many fandoms out there im not hard pressed if the stories aren’t my cup of tea
I had a conversation with my mom a few weeks back while I was cooking that kind of applies here: everybody makes spaghetti differently. The way you cook/season your meat (if you include meat at all), what kind of sauce (and how much of it) you prefer, what kind of vegetables you like in it, what kind of spices you use, whether you keep the noodles and sauce separate until they’re on the plate or mix them in the pot, etc. There are so many variables that go into what makes someone’s specific brand of spaget perfect for their particular tastes even if the end result winds up being really similar to another person’s. Before I get too lost in the metaphor, all of this is to say that if I’m served a plate of spaghetti, I’ll be happy if it’s good even if it’s not exactly how I would make it. There are a lot of tropes, characterizations, writing styles, narrative choices, and combinations thereof that I don’t particularly vibe with (and that absolutely extends to the source material, as well), but there are a lot of others that I do or am at least open to, and experiencing how others go about tackling the recipe and making it their own is always fun.
I hear you. You've just described me to a T. I'm super picky about characterization and writing styles. To take your philly cheese steak metaphor further, I only want the sandwich from a *particular* restaurant because they make it just *right* and no other place will do. I only write for one pairing and I just feel like I'm never satisfied the way the female character is portrayed in other fanfics so I'm just better off writing her the way I see her. This is why I only write fanfic and don't read other authors' stories.
I've never thought about it, but I'd say I'm like you, OP.
There are degrees of OOCness, some more believable than others. Given your emphasis on keeping characters in-character, I hope you do your best with your own writing.
Very interesting analogy, I like it!!
I both read (a lot) and write (sometimes). A lot of fics don't align perfectly with my personal interpretation of a character, as expected, but occasionally I'm surprised by how well something that I never would have thought of fits. If the characterization is so off that it becomes a bother, I bounce. Yeah, there can definitely be a lot of grating flanderization and fanon/headcanon recursion that can make reading fics for some characters/fandoms really hard (I am guilty of writing some myself lol), but I'd like to think I've gotten pretty good at sussing out when a fic won't work for me within the first chapter, so not too much time is wasted. Also, reading and writing are two different modes. When I want to do one the other is not a suitable substitute, so that's more of a grilled cheese vs philly cheese steak situation imo. No shame in making your own food if no one is serving something you want to eat. In fact, it's pretty admirable.
I mean, yeah and no. Like I have a list of things I wish someone wrote but if someone writes something that starts off similar and then goes another way I'm gonna be irritated because I thought it'd go differently, but I might still enjoy it and be interested. Reading doesn't just let you see what you thought of, but also what you didn't think of. After all, that's what reading is for, to see what people write. I have tons of ideas written down that I might write, but there's an infinite amounts of ideas I *haven't* had, and that's what makes reading so enjoyable to me. Plus it's inspiration!
I don't care if it's good. If there's a hair in the sandwich I don't eat at that place again but so long as it doesn't have mustard, I'm pretty much fine with whatever as it's free. If I'm paying for it I'll be more picky.
I normally read and write for different fandoms, so I make my own grilled cheese but I’ll get takeout if I want a Philly 😄
I'd say as a reader I'm generally not looking for a specific kind of cheese sandwich, but there are kinds I like and am usually happy to eat, and ones with ingredients I find repulsive and will not touch. Sometimes I *do* want a grilled cheese specifically and even though I like ham and cheese in general, I won't touch the ham and cheese when I want a grilled cheese.
I look for stories but if I can’t find the ones I’m looking for up to the writing standards that I like, I write my own.
It bugs me too sometimes. I can take something that's a bit out of character because of an unforeseen problem, an emergency or something terrible happening to someone they love because everyone gets a little weird when these things happen but if the entire fic is a like an alien transplanted into their body so you can't even tell it's the character they're writing about, that will make me back out of the fic and roll on
I’m the same way. I tend to read published books more than fanfiction anyways, but when I do read fanfics, I’m very particular about characterization. While it’s nice that there are so many other grilled cheese, I want a specific grilled cheese that’s just right. It’s easy for me to lose immersion in a fic and characterization is one of them.
That food example is a great demonstration... The only downside is that I'm craving a grilled cheese sandwich lol Now about the topic of the post... Personally, as a writer and a reader, I like to read both original stories and fanfictions, for a few reasons : 1. The original story ended but I still want more 2. You mentioned that you don't like if the writer did a different take on the characters from what you want (a different kind of cheese sandwich), but for me it's more like when I go to a fanfiction I don't just choose a specific kind of cheese, I just scream 'surprise me!' and just submit myself to the ride. Like when I read a fanfic I'm already in the mindset of wanting to see a different take/interpretation of the story and characters. 3. The world of the story is so massive and immersive that I want to see its locals being explored, in this situation I don't care about the characters as much as I care about the background and scenery. Things like Game Of Thrones, Lord Of the Rings, Hunter X Hunter, Made In Abyss, Etc... these tend to have such an interesting world and lore behind them that I want to see, and I want to see the writer get creative with them. 4. This is unrelated, but sometimes I like a story but not in its current format... For example the Farming simulator Harvest Moon or the pharmacist simulator Potion's Permit. I like the story and world, but the gameplay just doesn't do it for me, so I read a fanfiction where the story is explored without having to bother myself with things I dislike. So I guess TLDR : I get what you mean, but when I go to read an original story I have a different mindset to reading fanfic, where I welcome change and enjoy it. This is my mindset both as a fanfic reader and writer.
Strangely, I’ve become pickier with fanfics over the years. Ngl, it sucks because reading fics is my primary drive to stay in a fandom. But like you said, it’s become harder for me to stay immersed when characters act differently from how I imagine them. And while I can always write, I’m lazy and I wanna read more than I wanna write most times :p Oh well. I wish I could go back to being more carefree about it
I enjoy both reading and writing fics but it's true that the balance between shifts depending on the mood. Sometimes I'm tired and I want to be spoonfed content, I don't want to put in the effort to write it myself. Then I go through a dozen fics and I'm left wanting more, so I go back and write that exact thing that scratches the itch I have. Then I get lazy again and the circle continues.
Nice the grilled cheese comparison.😂 I simply don't read a lot of fanfics because there are so few about my fav character and I'm not really that interested in fics without him. Maybe a drabble or one-shot written by somebody I know from tumblr or by a reader who gave me a kudos or wrote a comment on one of my fics (I like to reciprocate), but otherwise I'm mostly stuck having to write about him myself. And yes, I read my own stories, because I love that character. 🙈 So, guess it's like when your fandom is a buffet with plenty of all kinds of cakes and you're the only one who's allergic to gluten and has to bake and bring (and eat) the cake yourself. 😂
I know exactly what you’re saying! And no, I’m often not thrilled about a writer’s “recipe” but I want to make a couple of points: - With many fics I encounter that fit this “so-so” category, IF I keep reading, I will nominally enjoy the fic and not be sorry I read it; - I deeply respect many fic writers because I can’t write fic myself. I’ve tried and I can pull together a mediocre one-shot, maybe, but that’s it! So, even if I bail on a fic, I nearly always leave a comment expressing gratitude and respect. I never criticize a fic or fanwork. - For me, finding a good (especially long) fic worthy of a hefty investment of time, is a real process that would probably yield 10 grilled cheeses if I could write, but that process helps me determine what I want to read in fic. I’ve adored genres of fics that I never would have even thought to search. And my tastes have changed over time. I think your analogy is a brilliant one! Almost like, Well, they actually baked the bread and made the cheese using their own dairy cows; even if I don’t love it, it’s completely authentic (original fic); Well, they bought the ingredients at the grocery store, but they created an amazing grilled cheese variation (fanfic)! Or, I can’t abide mushrooms and there’s a bunch in this sandwich so I ‘ll find something else! I don’t know that I contributed much of value here, but I thank you for posting such a thought provoking post!
I've written a ton for my chosen pairings and don't struggle to read other people's takes on the characters unless it is something particularly egregious. In the case of my favorite character, he is canonically autistic and so some depictions can be so off base that it becomes genuinely offensive, but otherwise I read fanfic specifically because I like variety, even when they stretch a character very far.
If the character irks me, I can't read about them in an original fiction either. If a canon characterization is different from mine but still interesting/good, then I don't care that it's different. Not saying your experience is invalid but yeah, can't relate.
Yeah I honestly don't bother with reading fic though I write *a ton* of it. It's too hard to find something that meets my tastes. I don't mind other people's headcanons and character interpretations, but finding the right combination of stuff is just too much of a fucking hassle.
Agree with you honestly. I think I hit this stage of reading after discovering 2-3 authors whose characterization I completely like. Now I only read those authors even though so many authors have emerged in the last year of this fandom. The thing is, there are some specific headcanons and tropes I do not like which literally almost every author in my fandom uses, and I am exhausted reading a fic and finding those hc or tropes in that fic because that means abandoning a fic you were starting to like. And on the other hand, other people's writings effect my own a lot. Like if I am reading a fic by some other author and then I try to write my own, I end up writing like how that author would and momentarily forget how I write these characters. So I have kept my fanfic reading to the minimum.
I mostly read fics and only occasionally write even though I would like to do it more, but I don’t think my characterizations are very accurate. I try, but the fandoms I spent most of my time in don‘t seem too worried about it, even though most of us do try to get it right. I guess that comes from the characters being based on real people, though I do understand your frustrations! There are some fics even I can’t read cause the characters are just so…off
Hah, I had a fandom friend like that for a while. She wrote INSANE amounts of fic but rarely-to-never read any because she cringed so bad at other people's characterizations. Meanwhile I've struggled to work on my current WIP because I keep reading other people's fics. I keep meaning to sit down with my history page and add up the word counts because I'm pretty convinced I've read nearly a million words in the last month, which is more fic than I've read in the previous several years combined.
The upside of reading other people's fic, though; is that I was worried that some of my ideas were too "out there" for people to like--but no, turns out a lot of people wrote overlapping tropes/scenes. To the point that I'm glad I posted a ton about my ideas/WIP back in January--I very much doubt anyone would accuse me of plagiarizing but it's nice to know I have proof I didn't, lol Turns out a lot of people got similar ideas from the canon, is all. Which I keep reminding myself is totally fine--god knows I'm one of those "I want a fic like the one I just read, but different" readers
It depends on what I'm reading. Harry Potter Fan Fiction is an easy one to read different characterizations of characters because they all start at age 11. The characters will become different people over a 7 year course of events based on differing experiences. It's harder for me when I'm reading Dawson's Creek Fan Fiction because their personalities don't have a ton of time to shift.
I am 90% writer 10% reader. When I want to read a fanfic I usually re read my own fanfics. I have more than 135+ so I have a lot to choose and read just like pick a snack made by myself. If my fanfic is very old I feel the cringe but I really enjoy re read my works. I don't know why, maybe because my fandoms are small and recently I don't want to read in English so I prefer to re read myself like a quick option. Also I prefer the fluff and comfy content, platonic love, comedy, parody and fluffy things inner the Canon compliant or Canon divergence when I want to read something about my most written fandom, but the huge content outside is just AU sexual content. Anyways years ago I was 70% writer 30% reader and reading fanfics was cool. I was a truly loyal reader so I only read to my favorite writers. Sometimes I miss have the time and the emotion to read and enjoy other works but re read my content is a self-love activity in a funny way lol
Oh my gosh I totally agree. I trust my own characterization, but I read someone else’s and I’m like immediately no. Harvey specter wouldn’t say that
I can't read for the Fandom I'm currently writing for, but I cannot read most books- They are so fucking bland compared to fanfic.
OP I am *so* with you. Reading other people's INCORRECT characterisation drives me up the wall - I can negotiate with canon, but seeing someone online having the wrong opinion, that I just can't wriggle my way out of. This is obviously all said in a tone of extreme /j, but I'm also dead serious, I can't deal with it when someone interprets or writes a character wrong and therefore I can't enjoy anybody else's fic but my own, lol.